This final day of 2012 is a time for Filipinos to look back and be grateful for the blessings they reaped.

In politics, the people’s single biggest achievement through their elected representatives was the removal by impeachment of Renato Corona from the post of chief justice for betrayal of public trust.

That raised the momentum for transparent governance which bore fruit in the ongoing process in Congress of institutionalizing people’s access to public records through the Freedom of Information Act.

This awakening of the citizenry to participation in our democratic experiment through the key of transparency should carry on in 2013. Transparency, whether of a candidate’s net worth or his lifestyle should be an issue among those who will vote this May.

The economy has performed very well with overall gross domestic product growth this year expected to top 5 percent to 6 percent.

We look forward to government and traders working together this year to bring the benefits of an economy on the upsurge to persons of all economic classes.

There is enough optimism across the social spectrum (92 percent of Filipinos face 2013 with hope, reports Pulse Asia), for public and private sector leaders to tap in building the nation, thereby democratizing the process.

A government that strives to tread the straight path and that has declared that the Philippines is open for business cannot afford in the year ahead to be lax in guarding our patrimony both in natural resources and cultural values.

Progress should not be achieved at the cost of an in effect scorched earth policy that will consume our ecology and rob our children of the opportunity to understand values like chastity and sacrifice or cherish institutions like traditional marriage and the family.

In the arena of faith, millions of Filipinos were blessed with the recognition of St. Pedro Calungsod in the universal Church.

To paraphrase President Benigno Aquino III, the teenage martyr is the epitome of everything that is good in the Filipino.

Citizens regardless of faith affiliation would be wise in 2013 to take their cue from him in terms of principled conviction, faithful friendship, other-centeredness and servant leadership.

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